Ecuadors Adoption of Finlands Education System

Ecuadors Adoption of Finlands Education System ABSTRACT This research is focused on the most viable solutions that Ecuador has to improve its educational system, based on certain characteristics and key factors of the best education system in the world that is Finnish according to the TEST PISA (2012). The three most feasible alternatives that can lead the Ecuadorian educational system to rise in the ranking of education worldwide. The possible solutions are: first, teachers will be more qualified, and thus incorporate more dynamic techniques; Second, small classes will allow for personalized learning; And third, students will develop language and artistic skills from an early age. Ecuadorians would be the ones who would benefit most, since a good quality education implies that the student has a good academic level at the regional level, therefore implies that he will be able to perform optimally in the future and in that way to help in the academic development of the country. How Would Ecuador Benefit From Adopting Finlands Education System? Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. (Benjamin Franklin, n.d), education system in Ecuador is not at higher level at regional level, much less at worldwide level, the Ecuadorian system is based in memorization and huge amounts of tests, making the classes boring for the students, moreover as Susan Segal (2016) said, the education system in Latin America is antiquated and uses a defective model. as a result, students are suffering the consequences; the Latin American students do not receive a quality education, and they achieve the minimum level of learning as shown by the results of the 2012 PISA TEST (para. 1). Ecuador need to change the system education, Ecuador need to focus and start from the bottom, this means that Ecuador need to start the change with the lowest level, from kinder garden, the children need to develop new skills related with creativity and team work, with these skills they will start to add great learning fundamentals, this will help them in their path of knowledge until their adulthood. The best way to try a change is adopting the Finland education system, which is the number 1 according 2012 PISA TEST. Because the Finnish education system is the number 1 all around the world, society thinks that their system education is strict, tedious and even boring for their students. However, the reality is the opposite, according to Dr. Tony Wagner from The Finland Phenomenon, children develop a certain kind of passion for learning and the reason is the environment, a safety, lovely and full of confidence environment between students, teachers, parents and government create the perfect environment for learn (Compton, 2011). Ecuadorian students can benefit from adopting Finlands education system in three ways: first, teachers will be more qualified, and thus incorporate more dynamic techniques; second, small classes will allow for personalized learning; and third, students will develop language and artistic skills from an early age. First of all, one of the greatest characteristic that Ecuador need to adopt form Finnish education system is lead to teach only hiring professionals qualified with a masters degree; according to William Doyle (2016), the minimum request for being a teacher in Finland is having a masters degree in education, in preference with specialization in research and classroom practice (para. 13). Teachers with higher degree of education greater number of knowledge, this is basically a fact. Due to teachers have a masters degree they know how to treat with their students, teachers can design and choose an ideal model of learning for their students with the final purpose to make easier the understanding of the knowledge imparted towards the students. The fact that teachers have a masters degree in education makes it possible for them to find the simplest, most dynamic and ideal way to get students to improve the way they absorb knowledge. Teachers besides of been fundamental is the educational aspect they are also fundamental in the emotional aspect. According to Edutopia Team (2005), one important role that teachers have is to coach a guide their students through their educative journey; teachers can manage the time reducing the lecturing time in classes for adding more time to mentoring them. (para. 8). Teachers can support to their students giving to them motivation for learning, for example putting an exercise and the first 3 students will have extra points, or giving candies for each question well attended. Having better academic preparation the teacher will be better able to adapt to the student and develop better learning methods. Second of all, A normal classroom in Ecuador is between 30 to 50 students, this fact makes to teachers more difficult to take control of the class in every aspect, as the behavior of the students or having enough time to address the doubts of all students. Meanwhile, in Finland the maximum capacity is around 20 students per each classroom, this characteristic can solve in an efficient way the problems previously mentioned. Also, a main idea is implement technological resources such as electronic devices as tools for teachers and students with the objective of develop the academic performance. It is a logical fact all around the world that while lower number of students in a classroom, higher quality of learning; how is this possible? Well, according to OCDE, There is a general perception thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the size of the class, understood as such, could be seen as an indicator of the quality of the education system. (Education Indicators in Focus, 2012). Third of all, the Finnish educational system has a solid base from the start of education in their youngest students, it means their kindergarten students develop many skills and habits for learning and behavior in-and-outside the class. Ecuador need change from the bottom of the academic pyramid. Starting with a whole change in the educational system with kindergarten students. Also, implementing the learning-through-play-based preschools and kindergartens. Ecuador can restructure the methodologies and contents of childrens centers throughout the country. After the process of restructuring Ecuador will be ready for a future with a solid educational structure that will allow a change with respect to the new generation to the previous generations, would be an educational revolution that has as a protagonist the kindergarten children as Finnish educational system. Besides the restructuration of the educational system, the other necessary change in Ecuador would be education of quality for everyone, it means that whoever can receive education independent from the economic or social situation. The final step of the restructuring in the educational system is to provide kindergarten students with skills and habits oriented and related to the educational world. According to William Doyle (2016), children in Finnish schools not only receive basic knowledge in math, language and science. Finnish children through learning-through-play-based preschools and kindergartens, this method is used to teach second languages, arts, physic education, ethics, between others. This kind of learning is necessary because children will be able to develop concentration and cognitive focus (para.21). These fundaments will allow to students an academic progress through their educational journey. In Summary, if well the educational system of Ecuador is not the worst all around the world, is one of the worst a Latin American level. Is for this reason that the Ecuadorian educational system need to change. Due to Finnish educational system is the number one worldwide, the most recommendable option is adopting fundamental principles and characteristics from Finnish educational system that allow it to be the best in the world. In this way, we can change the future of Ecuador. What Ecuador can adopt from the educational system of Finland are: master degree teachers, more qualified teachers will incorporate more dynamic techniques and better methods to improve the education. Also, developing arts and science skills in an early age with learning-through-play-based preschools and kindergartens will allow develop concentration and cognitive focus. Finally reducing the number of students per class and adding technological tools as personalized platforms where teachers and students can interact between them and the use of applications developed to teach, for example Duolingo that teach english. In this way with this options Ecuador can change in the educational field for better. References Education system of Finland. (2013, 25 June). [Documentary]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnRb_PtpN7I Segal, S. (2016, May 20). The case for disruption in Latin Americas classrooms. Mecd.gob.es. (2016). Citar un sitio web Cite This For Me. [online] Available at: http://www.mecd.gob.es/dctm/inee/indicator-in-focus/edif-2012n9-esp.pdf?documentId=0901e72b814703c2 [Accessed 19 Dec. 2016]. Edutopia. (2016). Big Ideas for Better Schools: Ten Ways to Improve Education. [online] Available at: https://www.edutopia.org/big-ideas-better-schools [Accessed 19 Dec. 2016]. The Hechinger Report. (2016). How Finland broke every rule and created a top school system The Hechinger Report. [online] Available at: http://hechingerreport.org/how-finland-broke-every-rule-and-created-a-top-school-system/ [Accessed 19 Dec. 2016].

Effects of Isolation in the Older Person

Effects of Isolation in the Older Person John Burke   Introduction: My assignment will focus on the isolation of the older person in Ireland today. I will be researching and investigating all aspects of these involving reasons, causes, affects and how we as a Society can assist or even alleviate this issue in Ireland. This topic is of particular interest to me due to my own personal circumstances growing up in rural Ireland with my grandparents and family and at present my own elderly parents. They are lucky in a sense that they have continued family support and we care for them on an on-going basis. This kind of family support alleviates isolation but unfortunately such support can be the exception rather than the rule. In a recent study of elderly people living in Ireland the majority do not feel isolated or cut off but a significant minority approx. 50,000 have hardly any contact with others and are very isolated as a result. A report from the National Council on Ageing and Older People (NCAOP) shows that as people get older they can have help from their families, neighbours and even friends. These people find themselves in some form of isolation for various reasons. Isolation in the elderly is usually involuntary but at the same time be self-imposed. People in this group are likely to be single or widowed women especially over the age of 80 and in poor health. They also tend to be less well educated usually to primary school level only. They could find themselves in a very low social situation. Such factors contribute to making our elderly exposed to illness, personal crisis example death of spouse or loved one. On reading and researching the report it also shows and notes that other older people who are more likely to experience isolation are those who live in rented accommodation or those who live with relatives in rural areas. According to the findings, accessibility to transport is a vital factor in facilitating good social contacts with family, friends and the community in general. As a result, people who have no access to transport report significantly higher levels of loneliness. Meanwhile those least likely to report high levels of loneliness include married people, those living in urban areas with access to public or private transport and those on higher levels of income. For the majority of older people (80%), their nearest relative lives within a five-mile radius. The member of their family that tends to provide the most support is an adult child, usually a daughter. Elderly people when asked will comment that getting out as being a very important factor in facilitating social int eraction. Those who were unable to get or be out independently said that this caused feelings of loneliness and isolation. Older women meanwhile were more likely than older men to report social and emotional loneliness because of isolation. Our elderly folks have many needs as they get to the end of their lives. Having a good amount of awareness about various needs and requirements of the elders, is extremely important for those people who have the responsibility of taking care of their aged family members like, their parents or relatives. Our elderly folks have serious needs be it Social, Finance, Housing, Transportation, Health, Nursing and in todays environment Cultural. Reasons for isolation: There are many reasons for isolation in the elderly! Circumstances like no family contact or family rows. Nobody calls anymore and a fear of crime. Reasons of cannot function or be mobile anymore. People get negative and withdraw from social activities or human contact. Our older generation get frail and health declines as a result. Their usual contacts become absent or do not get involved anymore. They can suffer economically too even in todays environment can lead to being alone and unable to cope. Being unmarried or childlessness can be a cause for social isolation. Whether their child is deceased or they did not have children at all, the loneliness that comes from not having a child can cause social isolation.Retirement, which takes away a daily routine abruptly, and loss contact of fellow employees plus a death of close friends contribute to isolation of some kind. Bad financial circumstances can also add to isolation. No savings or having bad pensions to support their futures. The sudden death of a loved one also adds to social isolation. For example, if an individual loses a spouse, they lose their social support. They now must find some other kind of support to help them through this fragile time. Studies have showed that widows that keep in contact with friends or relatives have better psychological health even if they find themselves in isolation. As part of my investigation into this subject, I interviewed my father, 81 years, and his neighbour; 75 years (Bachelor) after my parents hosted the traditional House Stations Mass. I asked the question on reasons for isolation in the elderly and in addition to the usual ones mentioned earlier both men referred to the Country Mobile Shop, which no longer exists, and the decision of An Post to place post boxes at top of rural roads and driveways. Both of these examples can lead to isolation situations in our Elderly people who love conversations, gossip, and above all social contact. In my youth, I was a member of the Legion of Mary and one of our important roles was Visitation of the Elderly in the Parish. These people loved the visits which could last for hours. They thrived in contact and conversations which was at that time weekly. We did not realise it then but we found ourselves in a Carer role with our elderly neighbours. They would have confidence in their younger visitors and would unwind with cups of tea, advice, stories, songs, poetry and even teach us to card play. Effects of isolation: One of the greatest effects of isolation in the elderly is loneliness and a lot of our older people are suffering from loneliness these days. Loneliness is a major problem that affects older people. Folks in their seventies and beyond have issues of loneliness more so than their younger counterparts do. Types of loneliness-connected problems are far worse today than they were back in the 60s, 70s, or 80s. Loneliness is not a new issue. Older folks of ages and nationalities today are worse off. It affects all people but more affected are the elderly. People of all ages and nationalities face it from time to time. While loneliness can affect all people, the older people are the worst affected. Part of this problem can be attributed to the rise of nuclear families. By such reference I mean Families or elementary families consisting of a pair of adults and their children. Families in Ireland and all over the world are becoming smaller and smaller. While youngsters who spend a considerable part of their away from home have plenty of opportunities to socialize, their older parents and grandparents have few outing options which severely limit their chances of interacting with other people. To overcome loneliness older people must keep themselves engaged in meaningful activities. They can go for a walk in the morning or in the evening. It will give them physical exercise. It will also give them an opportunity to meet and interact with other people. They can join clubs or they can pursue other interests. By keeping active they constantly engaged in something or other they can overcome loneliness and isolation. Also where possible when they are physically fit they will feel better about themselves and that will add a whole new layer of meaning to their lives. Another serious effect of isolation is depression and despair. These people as a result of depression and despair acquire ill health and have a bad quality of live due to their illness Depression and despair are serious effects of isolation and can lead to ill health amongst our elderly. Conclusion / Recommendations The HSE despite financial constraints and government cut backs is a huge and vital organisation in caring for our elderly. Healthy elderly people who find themselves in isolation must have access to services and supports. Day care centres for example are important for the isolated elderly as it provides them with access to facilities such as contact with people, activities of dining, bingo, card playing, and adult learning. Home Help provision is another aspect of reducing isolation in the elderly. This involves helping with good housekeeping. There are a number of aspects that are involved in taking care of elderly or aged people. Having a good amount of awareness about various needs and requirements of the elders, is extremely important for those people who have the responsibility of taking care of their aged family members like, their parents or relatives. This type of assistance and help that elderly people commonly require, in addition to a few elderly special needs is very cruc ial in lower or alleviating isolation. The HSE try to encourage and provide age-friendly initiatives for all seniors, regardless of their location. Specifically, they seek to improve transportation, housing, social inclusion, community support and health services. In addition, paying attention to the person who is socially isolated can make a difference. Taking a day to spend time with someone can change his or her perspective on life. Care Support organisations like Comfort Keepers that I have started to work for are also vital components in helping to reduce isolation of elderly people. A recent client of mine resides in the last house of a Parish and also the last house of his specific village road so our Health Care Support roles and visits are such a great asset towards reducing isolation. As a HCA my involvement whether its as an employee or a family support member is a crucial role for the future. References / Bibliography: www.irishhealth.com www.hse.ie www.ageaction.ie http://www.irishhealth.com/site_map.html Interview Work Case Study Client. Cacioppo, J (2008), Loneliness, Human Nature and the need for Social Connection. New York: W.W.Norton

Pythagoras :: essays research papers

Pythagoras   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pythagoras was a very significant person in the history of the world. He made many contributions to the fields of math, music, and astronomy. Pythagoras's teachings and beliefs that were once taught by him in his own school in ancient Greece, are still taught today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The thing that Pythagoras is probably the most famous for is the Pythagorean Theorem. The Pythagorean Theorem is used in the field of mathematics and it states the following: the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the two other sides. This means that if one makes a square (with all sides equal in length) out of a triangle with a right angle, the areas of the squares made from the two shorter sides, when added together, equal the area of the square made from the long side. Another geometrical discovery made by Pythagoras is that the diagonal of a square is not a rational multiple of its side. The latter discovery proved the existence of irrational numbers and therefore changed the entire Greek mathematical belief that whole numbers and their ratios could account for geometrical properties.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another contribution of Pythagoras and his follower is that of music. Pythagoras essentially created music in that he discovered the way it works. Pythagoras noticed that vibrating strings produce harmonious tones when the ratios of the lengths of the strings are whole numbers. After making this discovery, he found that these same ratios could be extended further to other instruments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pythagoras was one of the first to teach that the Earth was at the center of the universe. He was also one of the first to teach that the world was round, an idea not to be proven for almost another one thousand years. Pythagoras also discovered that the orbit of the moon is inclined to the equator of the Earth. He also was the first person to make the connection that Venus as

An Assessment of the Poetry of Robert Frost Essay -- Poetry Robert Lee

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nature is beautiful in every aspect, but as nature changes with every season, beauty and innocence in human life is much the same as the years progress. Robert Lee Frost uses nature in such a profound approach; every aspect of nature can someway correlate with any characteristic of life. Whether it is the beauty in nature signifying the joy and happiness that every person experiences, or it be the traumatic losses and disappointments that may lead to ultimate failure or destruction, Robert Frost illustrates life, love and loss in the most natural and beautiful way feasible. His style is uniquely his own, and his themes are ones that many people can relate to on countless levels, which is what made Frost so popular during his lifetime, and has continued four decades after his death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Robert Frost was born March 26 1874 in San Francisco where he spent the first eleven years of his life until his father died. It was then that he moved with his family to Lawrence, Massachusetts. While in high school in Lawrence, Frost fell in love with Elinor White, they became engaged and married in 1896 (the same year that their son Elliott was born). After withdrawing from Harvard in 1897, the Frost’s moved to a farm in Methuen, Massachusetts, and began raising poultry. Three years later Elliott died, along with Frost’s mother. Frost and his family then bought a farm in Derry, where they settled down, and Frost began writing. Robert and Elinor Frost had three more children before losing another infant in 1907. In 1912, Frost became irritated with his failure at success, and moved his family to England. This move proved to be successful when Frost’s first book A Boy’s Will was published in 1913, followed by North of Boston in 1914; b oth books appeared in the United States as well by the time that the Frost family returned in 1915. In 1938 Frost lost his wife to illness. New Hampshire garnered Frost the first of his unmatched four Pulitzer Prizes for poetry, followed by Frost's Collected Poems in 1930, A Further Range in 1936, and A Witness Tree in 1942. Frost’s crowning public moment was his recitation of "The Gift Outright" at John F. Kennedy's inauguration in January of 1960. He died on January 29, 1963. Robert Frost lived a very long and often tragic life. He suffered unreasonable guilt, and blamed himself for everything that went wrong. Robert Frost loved his f... ... to gain wisdom. This wisdom should not be what the speaker feels in the last line, that innocence is great and loss of it is to be mourned. This wisdom is in the title of the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay." Here is Frost telling the speaker to understand that this is the natural way, and so there is no point in fighting it or being sad about it. In fact, within every leaf is just a leaf...meaning without the gold there is no green, without dawn there is no day, without death there is no birth. It is just the way it is and so we better love it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Robert Frost’s poems are beautifully written, and offer such a deep insight into life, and nature. His work connects to readers on virtually every level of consciousness, and generates readers to understand that their feelings are not rare. Everyone experiences the same emotions, and must overcome many of the same situations in life; but his poems almost bring the sense of possibility. Frost may have become popular at the dawn of the nineteenth century, his life may have ended almost half a century ago, but his poems are still as distinguished as they were before his death, and they will continue to be popular for many years to come.

The Three Character Traits of Macbeth

Macbeth bumped Into three witches after his battle. The three witches tell Macbeth he will become thaln of cawdor and glamls, and then king. He then becomes the thaln which opened up an opportunity for him to become king. He then writes a letter to his wife in which he wrote to her about everything that was going on and she decides they need to kill the king in order for him to seize the throne. Macbeth kills the king but his wife has to return the daggers to the guards, to frame them for the crime, because Macbeth did not.After all that the King Duncans' sons run away becuase they fear that they were gonna be put to blame. Macbeth then becomes king. Once he became king, he did not want anyone else to have the same power as him or to do the same thing to him, as he did to King Duncan. Also he remembers one of the prophecies of the witch where they told Banquo the his children will be king. So he then orders the murderers to kill his best friend, Banquo and his son, Fleance . Macbeth is then haunted by Banquos ghost at his party.After all that he goes back to the witches and he sees three things; a bloody baby saying â€Å"beware Macduff, a bloody helmet saying that he cant be killed by anyone born of a woman, nd a child with a crown and a tree branch saying that he does not need to worry till the Birnam woods moves to Dunsinane. Macbeth started to worry and demanded Macduff and all his family killed, but Macduff left already. Lady Macbeth starts getting crazy and comitts suicide. Macduff heads over to Macbeths' castle with the army to kill him. Macbeth is killed, and gets his head cut off by Macduff.Macuff was born by C-section which was not considered to be born of a woman. One of the aspects that Macbeth grasps to make him an antagonist Is greediness. The three witches that he met In the beginning told him his prophecy, which Is that he Is going to be the future king of Scotland, † All hall, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter† (l, l†, 53 ). At first he doesn't believe the prophecy at all and thought that they were being foolish. But then the predlctlon of the witches starts to come true after being persuaded by his wife, Lady Macbeth, that he had to take some steps to make It come true.Once the first prophecy came true, he wanted all the prophecies of the witches to come true. Once Macbeth Is king, he becomes one of the most owerful person in his land, yet he still demands for more respect and power and does not want anyone to nave any part In It. 10 make tnls nappen ne KIIls Banquo, nls best friend, so he wouldn't create a line of king as it was one of the witches prophecy and attempts to kill Banquo's son, Fleance, however he escapes. Macbeth was told by the witches that no human born from a women, that is everyone, could kill him. Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn, The power of man, for none of woman born, Shall harm Macbeth† (‘V, i, 85). Macbeth believes this and gets greedy making im tru st that no one could kill him. Overall this proves that Macbeth is definitely a greedy person in this play. Another open feature that Macbeth is distinguished for is ambition. Macbeth wants to prove to his wife that he is the one that she desires for and to do that, he listens to whatever she has to say. He is so deeply in love with his wife and ambitious towards her that he starts committing dangerous and risky crimes.Macbeth is also very ambitious towards becoming king. In order to become king he had to kill King Duncan. † I go, and it is done; the bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell; That summons thee to heaven, or to hell† ( II, i, 69). This quote indicates that it is time to kill King Duncan. He is also speaking to Duncan though he is not actually present. He tells the imaginary Duncan to not pay attention to the bell as it marks his death and therefore will send him to either hell or heaven. Again, Macbeth was very ambitious in becoming king but he is also ambitious to remain king.He kills Banquo so that no could take over his position as king. â€Å"It is concluded. Banquo, thy soul's flight; If it finds heaven, must find it out tonight† ( Ill, i, 157). This quote is saying Macbeth has made all the arrangements of the murder Banquo's and that he is going to heaven or hell because he is dying tonight. After that he also finds out the one of Banquo's children would be king, so his ambition towards remaining king leads him to kill Banquo's son, Fleance, however Fleance escapes and is never heard after that incident.To sum it up, ambition is definitely a character trait in this play. Finally, the third character trait of Macbeth is bravery. It is barely noticeable in Macbeth but he is recognized for it. Macbeth at first seemed to be a courageous, rave and capable warrior who would risk anything for his country. At the beginning of the play Macbeth's skills and strength saved the day on the battlefield. † For brav e Macbeth -well he deserves that name-; Disdaining fortune with his brandish'd steel† ( l,ii, 18).The quote shows that Macbeth is brave and he is the one who helped defeat Sweno, the king of Norway. Macbeth also shows bravery because he goes after what he wants and accomplishes it. For instance, Macbeth wanted to become king, to do that he bravely killed King Duncan which is evil but it shows that he would do anything to full fill his desire. Macbeth is brave near the end because when all of his prophecies were finished, he still fought Macduff. † Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother's womb; Untimely ripp'd† ( V, viii, 19).The witches said that no human born from a women could kill Macbeth and Macduff said that he was delivered prematurely. So according to the witches prophecies he is able to kill Macbeth. Thus bravery is definitely one of the character traits of Macbeth in this play. In conclusion Macbeth is a person who is consistently stuck in ugly situations. respectful towards the king by winning the important battle and the war but also rutal and cruel because after he killing Macdonwald by slicing him from his middle to his Jaws and placed his head on a stick.Macbeth was also everybody's hero for winning the war. He was also a good friend to Banquo, in fact they were best friends. But then Macbeth changed, he become greedy. He met these three witches who completely changed his life When he was not happy and satisfied with what he had, Macbeth felt that he had to move up a level and become king. Macbeth was confused at first and was not sure if he should kill the king or not, started to argue to himself if e should stay on the good side or move to the bad side.He told his wife, Lady Macbeth, everything and she started to convince him to kill King Duncan and seize the throne. After all of this, once he becomes king, he becomes crazy when he sees blood on his hand and started to think that he can not get rid of the blood on his hands af ter killing the king. After that he is heartless and started to kill every single person who dared to cross his path or anyone that he suspects is a threat. Macbeth is ambitious to be totally in control. Macbeth without a doubt was out of control and vil when he kills Macduffs' children and wife.He is also very self assured and brave because he refuses to run away when an army is attacking his castle. But after all that, he still shows some kindness towards Macduff by saying that he does not want to kill him before he is killed by him. Although Macbeth would have been a great and brave king, it was the manipulation of his wife and the three witches that led him to an evil path. He became a greedy and very ambitious king. After a while, because of his fearlessness, he died devastatingly. words: 1539

In “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner

In â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† William Faulkner explores what encourages and what happens due to insanity. Emily Grierson’s life is narrated through, we can assume, a member of the community to which she belonged— â€Å"belongedâ€Å" is used   because she is already deceased at the beginning of the short story. Faulkner avoids telling the story chronologically and instead tells us about Emily’s past in a way similar to the way the human mind works—a series of memories all jumbled up.Emily, we find out, lived a life under an overly controlling father—she practically had no social life to speak of. Her father was basically the only person in her life so it is not surprising—although shocking—that she clings to him even after he dies. Upon his death, she goes out in the town and defies the set rules of society by seeing a man under her status. Fraternizing with this man, Homer Barron, may have had a positive impact on her life; h owever, Homer is â€Å"not a marrying man† (29), which turns out to be absolutely devastating for Emily. Emily, we can conclude from her father’s death, does not deal well with strife.The heartbreak is too much for her and causes her madness to lash out. Emily’s yearning for someone to love combined with her insanity leads her to commit deeds that a sane person would never do such as killing a man, leaving the decaying body in her house, lying next to the corpse, and perhaps even committing acts of necrophilia. Looking at Emily’s story, it is quite frightening to think of the extent of damage that madness can compel people to inflict. It is very probable that Emily did not realize how horrific her actions were.  Truth to tell William Faulkner’s â€Å" A Rose for Emily† is an incredibly fascinating story about a woman who practiced necrophilia. The story is about a woman who poison's her boyfriend and keeps his body in a bed in her upstairs room for decades. No one ever exits or enters her old house except for her negro manservant.And what is necrophilia, exactly and how do we prove by using the text of   â€Å" A Rose for Emily†Ã‚   that indeed, Emily Grierson was a necrophiliac? Necrophilia for Mirriam-Webster would mean, â€Å"obsession with an usually erotic interest   in corpses or erotic interest in the stimulation by corpses†.   Medical dictionaries would define â€Å"necrophilism† to be , â€Å"1. A morbid fondness for being in the presence of dead bodies,   and   2. The impulse to have sexual contact, or the act of such contact, with a dead body, usually of males with female corpses.†Necrophilia can best be described as sexual arousal stimulated by a dead body. The stimulation can be either in the form of fantasies or actual physical sexual contact with the corpse.   Legends with necrophilic themes are common throughout history and the concept of sexual interference wit h the dead has been known and abhorred since the ancient Egyptians, as noted by Herodotus:â€Å"When the wife of a distinguished man dies, or any woman who happens to be beautiful or well known, her body is not given to the embalmers immediately, but only after the lapse of three or four days. This is a precautionary measure to prevent the embalmers from violating her corpse, a thing which is actually said to have happened in the case of a woman who had just died.†The symptoms of necrophilia are as follows: necrophilia are the presence, over a period of at least six months, of recurrent and intense urges and sexually arousing fantasies involving corpses which are either acted upon or have been markedly distressing. And the manifestations are said to be characterized by the following data. There is a broad spectrum of necrophilic behaviors, ranging from fantasies alone to murder for the sake   of procuring a dead body.   Faulkner’s Emily did commit murder in order t o have   a dead man’s body to sleep beside with, â€Å" I want arsenic,† (28) Emily tells the druggist in Faulkner’s story. That she is about to commit murder is only implied, and the truth is seen towards the end of the narrative.Experts have subcategorized the paraphilia according to where it falls on that spectrum. â€Å"Necrophilic fantasies† of corpses, never acted upon, still fall within the scope of necrophilia and some authors have categorized this as a â€Å"neurotic equivalent† to necrophilia. â€Å" Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head. One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair.† (31) In this quote, the readers can deduce that, at the very least, Emily had lain beside the dead body of Homer Barron.â€Å"Pseudonecrophilia† describes isolated incidents where the sexual contact with the corpse may happen without pre-existing fantasies or desire to have sexual contact with the body. Even in its truest form, necrophilia can be quite varied, ranging from simply being in the presence of a corpse to kissing, fondling or performing sexual intercourse or cunnilingus on the body. The presence of other paraphilias or personality disorders, however, can manifest in more grotesque or sadistic elements such as mutilation of the corpse, drinking the blood or urine, or homicide (â€Å"necrophilic homicide† or â€Å"necrosadism†).The latter is the most disturbing end of the spectrum. Although assumed rare, many have argued that necrophilia may be more prevalent than statistics imply, given that the act would be carried out in secret with a victim unable to complain and given the length of time which the paraphilia has been recognized.   Ã‚  But if Emily had used arsenic to poison and murder Homer, then she could not have been capable of performing an act of necrophilic homicide, for, how many times can you poison an already deceased and poisoned man?Although the act of murder itself may generate the subsequent sexual frenzy, research has determined an alarming rate of homicide in order to obtain a body for subsequent sexual violation. Rosman and Resnick   int their study, â€Å"Necrophilia: An analysis of 122 cases involving necrophilic acts and fantasies† found that 42% of their study sample of necrophiles had murdered in order to obtain a body.Researchers have determined, however, that sadism itself is not usually an intrinsic characteristic of true necrophilia. (74) In all cases, there is undoubtedly sexual preference for a corpse rather than a living woman.   And this is what makes William Faulkner’s Emily, unique. In the plot is a reversal of the symptoms manifest   that is â€Å"usual† in the cases of necrophilia. Emily, is a woman, who preferred the company and sexual â€Å"comfort† of a dea d man.When no other act of cruelty – cutting into pieces etc., – is practiced on the corpse, it is probable that the lifeless condition itself, forms the stimulus for the perverse individual. Homer Barron, as implied in the story, was maybe going to flee Emily, hence she resorted to murder by poison, â€Å"   When she had first begun to be seen with Homer Barron, we had said, â€Å" She will marry him.†Ã‚   Then we said, â€Å" She will persuade him yet,†Ã‚  Ã‚   because Homer   himself had remarked- he liked men, and it was known that he drank with the younger men in the Elks Club- that he was not a marrying man. (29)Kraft-Ebing   states in his, â€Å"Psychopathia sexualis†   It is possible that the corpse – a human form absolutely without will – satisfies an abnormal desire, in that the object of desire is seen to be capable of absolute subjugation, without possibility of resistance (89).What happened after the incident of the poisoning can only be guessed at, but in this telling of the life of Emily Grierson there is proof, that Emily as able to â€Å"persuade† –â€Å" her† Homer Barron, only that he was not someone hard to persuade, he was already dead, after all, â€Å" The violence of breaking down the door seemed to fill this room with pervading dust.A thin, acrid pall as of the tomb seemed to lie everywhere upon this room decked and furnished as for a bridal: upon the valance curtains of faded rose color, upon the rose-shaded lights, upon the dressing table, upon the delicate array of crystal and the man’s toilet things backed with tarnished silver, silver so tarnished that the monogram was obscured. Among them lay a tie, as if they had just been removed, which, lifted, left upon the surface a pale crescent in the dust.† (30)Most individuals have been reported to be heterosexual. This was not a sick and twisted scenario meant to be feasted on by literary critic s who work with queer gender theory, Emily was not gay, Homer could have been, but, â€Å" Upon a chair hung the suit, carefully folded; beneath it the two mute shoes and the discarded socks. The man himself lay in bed. (30)†Ã‚   –yes, Homer was a man, he was Emily’s man.As with the other paraphilias, necrophilia often occurs in conjunction with other paraphilias. Again, readers can only make intelligent inferences as to how, just exactly, did the things of Homer( made of silver ) get to become so tarnished, if by air corrosion alone? Could it be that at some point or the other, Emily infused them with fluids from her body, through acts that are too â€Å" horrifying† to speak of in this paper, but you get the picture.The individual should be assessed for associated psychopathology and treated accordingly. Treatment for necrophilia would be similar to that prescribed for most paraphilias: cognitive therapy, use of sex-drive reducing medications, assistanc e with improving social and sexual relations, etc. Sadly, Emily could not have been treated, she had chosen to isolation after her crime, â€Å" Now and then, we would see her at a window for a moment, as the men did that night when they sprinkled lime , but for almost six months, she did not appear on the streets. (29) For that time on her front door remained closed, save for a period of six and seven years, when she was about forty, during which she gave lessons in china painting (29).In conclusions then, there really is enough evidence in the text that Emily Grierson [ of William Faulkner ] had managed to make herself the necrophilic lover of Mr. Homer Barron.  And so , the world can only offer, â€Å" a rose† for Emily, for she can no longer answer for her gruesome acts, not that she ever could.WORKS CITED:Cole, Isaac, ed. â€Å" The Life and   Works of Herodotus.†Ã‚  Ã‚   New Land Press: London, 1990.Faulkner, William. â€Å"A Rose for Emily.† Literatu re: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama Interactive Edition. Eds. Kennedy, X.J and Gioia Dana. United States: Pearson Longman. 2005. 29 – 36.Krafft-Ebing, R. von. â€Å" Psychopathia sexualis.†New York: Stein & Day, 1986, (Original work published in 1886)Rosman, J. & Resnick, P. â€Å"Necrophilia: An analysis of 122 cases involving necrophilic acts and fantasies†. Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law,1989.

Brighton Rock by Graham Greene

In 1947 Donat O’Donnell wrote that â€Å"far more than the left-wing militancy of such poets as Auden and Spender†¦ the thrillers of Mr. Greene reflect the state of the West European mind in the thirties. † (25). For O'Donnell, Greene is â€Å"the most truly characteristic writer of the ‘thirties ir England, and the leading novelist of that time and place† (28). What Greene draws attention to in his novels from the period is, as McEwen notes, the condition of violence and savagery repressed beneath a seeming peace.Greene’s work such as Brighton Rock used the apparatus of the thriller to expose and investigate contemporary social problems; these novels are vehicles for social commentary particularly in the implicit equation they make between the violence and cruelty of their protagonists, Raven and Pinkie, and the background of poverty against which they are presented. This paper analyses Brighton Rock through a prism of narrative theory. In addi tion some socio-philosophical implications are discussed.Analysis In Brighton Rock Pinkie's gang murders Hale but only after he has made the acquaintance of Ida Arnold, a fun-loving pragmatist who repeatedly insists on her knowledge of the difference between right and wrong. Responding to an irrational compulsion—she calls herself a â€Å"sticker where right's concerned† (16)—she investigates Hale's death, seeking to bring Pinkie to justice and to save Rose the suffering that Pinkie will inflict upon her.Like Mather, Ida, despite fulfilling the role of the detective, is mocked by the narrative: her inability to see beneath the surface of things severely limits her understanding of the case and of the world she inhabits. Brighton for her is a place of fun and excitement, and life is always â€Å"good† (19, 72): â€Å"I always say it's fun to be alive† (17). The dark side, both of life and of the city with its beggars and its crime, is completely ali en to her (73):Death shocked her, life was so important. She wasn't religious. She didn't believe in heaven or hell, only in ghosts, ouija boards, tables which rapped . . . but to her death was the end of everything. . . . Life was sunlight on brass bedposts, Ruby port, the leap of the heart when the outsider you have backed passes the post and the colours go bobbing up. Life was poor Fred's mouth pressed down on hers in the taxi, vibrating with the engine along the parade. . .. she took life with deadly seriousness: she was prepared to cause any amount of unhappiness to anyone in order to defend the only thing she believed in. (36) Both her naive optimism, which has â€Å"something dangerous and remorseless† (36) in it, and her spiritual blindness prevent her from understanding Pinkie and Rose and account for the ironic tone that dominates many of the descriptions of Ida: Ida Arnold was on the right side. She was cheery, she was healthy, she could get a bit lit with the best of them.She liked a good time, her big breasts bore their carnality frankly down the Old Steyne, but you had only to look at her to know that you could rely on her. She wouldn't tell tales to your wife, she wouldn't remind you next morning of what you wanted to forget, she was honest, she was kindly, she belonged to the great middle law-abiding class, her amusements were their amusements, her superstitions their superstitions (the planchette scratching the French polish on the occasional table, and salt over the shoulder), she had no more love for anyone than they had. (80)This kind of mockery has led numerous critics to denigrate Ida for her lack of spiritual awareness (she boasts to Rose that â€Å"It's the world we got to deal with† [198]) and to elevate Pinkie to tragic stature because he professes a belief in a divine order (â€Å"it's the only thing that fits† [52], he says) wherein the crucial difference is not between right and wrong but between Good and Evil. In that Rose shares Pinkie's knowledge, she and Pinkie are presented both in the text and in critical discussions as morally superior to Ida and other characters like her such as Dallow, Cubitt, Colleoni, and Phil Corkery.The point is made particularly clear in comments made by Rose to Pinkie and in exchanges between Ida and Rose: â€Å"I only came here for your sake. I wouldn't have troubled to see you first, only I don't want to let the Innocent suffer†Ã¢â‚¬â€the aphorism came clicking out like a ticket from a slot machine. â€Å"Why, won't you lift a finger to stop him killing you? † â€Å"He wouldn't do me any harm. † â€Å"You're young. You don't know things like I do. † â€Å"There's things you don't know. † she brooded darkly by the bed while the woman argued on: a God wept in a garden and cried out upon a cross; Molly Carthew went to everlasting fire.â€Å"I know one thing you don't. I know the difference between Right and Wrong. They di dn't teach you that at school. † Rose didn't answer; the woman was quite right; the two words meant nothing to her. Their taste was extinguished by stronger foods—Good and Evil. The woman could tell her nothing she didn't know about these—she knew by tests as clear as mathematics that Pinkie was evil—what did it matter in that case whether he was right or wrong? (198) As is illustrated here, the narrative frequently contrasts two distinct views of the world—the secular outlook of Ida and others and the religious perception of Rose and Pinkie.From a social perspective there is no escaping the fact that Pinkie's evil makes him a criminal. However, as with Raven, Pinkie's guilt is mitigated by a background of poverty (â€Å"Man is made by the places in which he lives,† the text tells us [37]) and by the presence of Colleoni, a self-described â€Å"business man† (64), who, though the leader of a vast criminal organization, is also well reg arded by the Brighton police and by the Conservative party which seeks to persuade him into politics (159).As for Ida, whatever her shortcomings, she succeeds in her task of ridding society of Pinkie's menace, although the conditions that produced Pinkie, the source of the evil, remain. On one level, then, Ida is the instrument of law and order who brings about the socially desirable end, the social good, that Rose, representative of a religious or spiritual Good, cannot. Ida is, in this respect, a figure of the law defending a secular middle-class vision of society that relies on human justice which, as we have noted, Greene sees as both limited and limiting.On the other hand, criticism of Ida often seems to have at its root a prejudice against the detective story because it is a popular form of literature. Ida, herself, is strongly tied to popular culture, and in many respects she represents a populist spirit. The text tells us that â€Å"She was of the people, she cried in cinem as at David Copperfield, when she was drunk all the old ballads her mother had known came easily to her lips, her homely heart was touched by the word ‘tragedy'† (32). Similarly, her bed-sitting room contains the trappings of popular culture and an assortment of popular literature:pieces of china bought at the seaside, a photograph of Tom, an Edgar Wallace, a Netta Syrett from a second-hand stall, some sheets of music, The Good Companions, her mother's picture, more china, a few jointed animals made of wood and elastic, trinkets given her by this, that and the other, Sorrell and Son, the Board. (42) In one sense then, her success represents the triumph, albeit limited, of the popular. However, for critics like R. W. B. Lewis, Ida's â€Å"popular heart† (34) and her role as the investigating detective underpin the condemnation of her character and the neglect of her function in the book.In Lewis's eyes, the Ida Arnold plot threatens Brighton with the disaster of be ing two different books under the same cover (244): â€Å"The entertainment is Ida's; it begins with the first sentence . . . The tragedy is Pinkie's; it begins more subtly in the atmosphere of place† (243). As these remarks imply, not to condemn Ida is to elevate in their importance the book's detective-story aspects-something Lewis cannot and will not do. We can see in Brighton Rock how the detective story complements and underscores the narrative of Pinkie's religious struggle.To be fair, however, Lewis does recognize the interdependence of the two stories, despite his perception of â€Å"generic confusion† in the novel (239) the relation between the detective story and the tragedy expresses exactly what Brighton Hock is finally all about. It is a relation between modes of narrative discourse that reflects a relation between two kinds or levels of reality: a relation between incompatible worlds; between the moral world of right and wrong, to which Ida constantly and confidently appeals, and the theological world of good and evil inhabited by Pinkie and Rose.(244) However, we might add to these remarks that the relation between the two modes of narrative discourse can also be read as an inscription of the relationship between popular discourse and serious discourse. In the pure classical detective story that Todorov describes, the story of the crime becomes present in the text only through the story of the investigation; that is, the crime takes place outside the frame of the narrative and all its details are revealed only in the course of the investigation.The events leading to the crime make up a story that is seen only through its periodic intrusion by means of clues, or ciphers, into the story of the investigation which we read: we find out about the one story in the telling of the other. As Todorov figures it, this pattern reveals the two aspects that the Russian formalists identify as part of any story—fabula and sjuzhet—whe re the fabula is revealed only through the sjuzhet while yet providing the sjuzhet with the material of its own existence.However, as we have noted, to determine which of these two precedes the other is a task fraught with ambiguity, and this ambiguity is reflected in Brighton Rock's departures from the paradigm of the classical detective story. This ambiguity emerges in the novel's handling of the mechanics of the classical detective story's structure: Ida explicitly begins her pursuit at the place from which Hale disappeared (81) and then works to reconstruct the crime which, as even Pinkie realizes (86), is the standard investigative process.In a general sense, Ida traces over the previously laid path of Pinkie and his gang—an activity that is consistent with the structural dynamics of the classical detective story plot—and so figures the actions of the sjuzhet (the discourse) upon the material of the fabula (the story). As well, her retracing figures the act of wri ting that produces narrative as a rewriting of a prior narrative which is repressed in the later narrative although its existence is revealed in the later narrative—the narrative of the investigation—through the presence of clues which are the tangible signs marking the return of the repressed.However, in Brighton Rock Ida's pursuit of Pinkie intensifies the story of Pinkie's efforts to avoid capture. As Ida proceeds in her reading or events—explicitly linked to her reading of an occult text (â€Å"Fresuicilleye†)—she uncovers indications of Pinkie's story marked in the narrative's details, which in more orthodox detective fiction are formalized as clues: things such as Hale's dislike of Bass beer and his confession that he was â€Å"going to die† (18) arouse Ida's â€Å"instincts† so that she senses that â€Å"there is something odd† about Hale's death (31).Late; details that come out after his death, such as the fact that he used a false name (31), had bruises on his arms (79), and left a restaurant without eating despite telling Ida he was hungry (33), confirm Ida's suspicions that something is puzzling about the death while, at the same time, they reveal details of Pinkie's story. As the novel progresses, it becomes clear that Ida's investigation of Hale's death forces Pinkie's actions.Since the official investigators agree that Hale died of natural causes, they have closed the case (78-80), which means that it is only Ida whom Pinkie has to fear. In an odd way, then, Ida's search originates, explains, and validates all of Pinkie's actions from his courtship of Rose to his murder of Spicer to his attempt to arrange Rose's suicide: as Dallow accuses Ida late in the novel, â€Å"this is your doing. You made him marry her, you made him . . . † (236).To be sure, Pinkie fears that the police may ask questions about the man who left the card at Snow's, but, as we realize, they do not and will not reo pen their inquiry. In their place, though, is Ida. In this sense, the detective story plot determines the course of Pinkie's story; although, conversely, it is Pinkie's story that gives rise to the detective narrative. The two lines of action are entangled in each other with each standing as the origin of the other.Indeed, the question of origin is complicated further by the fact that the disturbance that excites the narrative of Brighton Rock into being—the murder of Hale—is considered an act of revenge: the initial action occurs in response to an earlier action—the murder of Kite—the story of which, though sporadically erupting into Pinkie's story (63, 218-19), lies in another narrative, another text; as the text explicitly remarks, â€Å"The whole origin of the thing was lost† (217).As a model of narrative mechanics, then, Brighton Rock, figures narrative's ability to perpetuate itself by inscribing within itself two separate narrative strands t hat generate and then feed on each other. Since Pinkie's story—the story of the crime—sparks Ida's story into life and since her investigation determines the content of Pinkie's story, each story can be seen as the origin of the other as each lies behind the other. Ida's investigation uncovers the contents of Pinkie's story, but his narrative also becomes the means by which Ida's story is discovered.To illustrate with just one example of how this works one can look at part 4, section 1 (99-120), where Pinkie and Spicer are at the race track. Although the storyline in the foreground involves Pinkie's betrayal of Spicer to Colleoni's men, one glimpses the other narrative line involving Ida. Spicer tells Pinkie about a woman who â€Å"backed Black Boy for a pony† (103). One then finds out that Black Boy won the race, and again Spicer mentions the woman who now has won so much money (104); the narrative goes on to report that Pinkie â€Å"heard a laugh, a female la ugh† which is attributed to the same woman (104-105).She is, of course, Ida, who bets on Hale's tip and so wins enough money to persist in the investigation. In this example one sees how the story of detection is revealed in the telling of Pinkie's story. Another way for us to see the relationship between the two narratives of Ida and Pinkie, of investigation and crime, is to think of either narrative strand as the repressed content of the other: each reveals its presence in intermittent clues that surface into the respective narrative.However, whichever way one chooses to view Brighton Rock again depends on one's point of view, but ultimately one is looking at the same thing. Greene reflects the indeterminate nature of narrative origins in his handling of the classical detective story's structure. As Brighton Rock stands, the story of the detection is interrupted by the story of the criminal, which reveals details of the crime; the two stories are presented in roughly alterna ting chapters occurring more or less along a shared timeline.The reader, then, gains knowledge of the circumstances of Hale's death from two sources, the chapters dealing with Ida and the chapters dealing with Pinkie. The two stories of the investigation and the crime become blurred in the novel as each begins to include the other. As if to underscore this blending of narrative, it is notable that the novel's first scene places Pinkie, Ida and Hale in the same room: murderer, detective, and victim have their stories begin at the same time in the same place. The novel figures, then, the indeterminate nature of narrative origin from its outset.Because Ida's investigation of events, metaphorically figured in her reading of an occult text, both reveals and determines the text she reads, we also see in Brighton Rock how the perceiving subject effects what it perceives, and in terms of reading the implications of this action are complex. On one level, reading a text actualizes that text f or the reader by inscribing it in the reader's consciousness where it previously did not exist. At the same time, the reader sees in the text what he or she is, in a sense, programmed to see through his or her experience of the â€Å"already-read†.This phenomenon lies behind the differing judgments on Brighton Rock: probable or improbable plot, proletarian novel or moral allegory, detective story or religious drama, light fiction or serious literature, entertainment or tragedy, and so on. However it is seen, the novel is the product of an interpretive act. Brighton Rock shows us both how these differences are generated and how they coexist within the textual field of the novel. The question of how texts are read is one of the issues at the heart of Brighton Rock.Perhaps more than in other detective stories, Brighton Rock foregrounds the reading process as a concern from the first page when we find Hale as Kolley Kibber following a route (itself prescribed by a text) through B righton in search of someone with a copy of The Daily Messenger in hand who can repeat a prepared text: â€Å"You are Mr. Kolley Kibber. I claim the Daily Messenger prize† (5). Language is, thus, explicitly figured as a code. The text stresses that the claim must be made â€Å"in the proper form of words† (5), and hence the possibility of arriving at a correct, univocal reading of a text, of fully understanding the code, is implied.However, since the challenge Hale receives ultimately results in his death, we see figured in Brighton Rock the inadequacy of such a simple method of reading. This possibility is confirmed in the larger investigation of reading that is enacted in the novel. As the detective, Ida is the reader of the fictions that Pinkie creates to explain Hale's, Spicer's, and, though it does not occur, Rose's deaths. In producing these fictions, Pinkie uses tangible signs, which are meant to mislead their reader. The cards he has Spicer lay along Hale's rou te are meant to stand as the visible traces of Hale's presence, as Hale's signature.Similarly, in preparing the story of Rose's suicide, Pinkie uses a note that Rose herself has written and insists that she â€Å"add a piece† to explain her death (231); for Rose, this involves â€Å"signing away more than her life† (227) because in committing suicide she commits a mortal sin which will, according to her belief, damn her. But in both instances, and particularly in the latter, the creation of a fiction is explicitly tied to the production of a written text, and in this way the act of detection that involves the reading of Pinkie's texts mirrors the activity of Greene's reader and of reading in general.Conclusion If Brighton Rock demonstrates the limitations of reading, it also insists upon the necessity of reading. Just as Chesterton described every detail within the urban landscape as a sign to be read by the detective in his or her search for truth, so is every detail within a detective story of potential significance to the reader's interpretation of the narrative. In Brighton Rock the experience of the world is figured in terms of reading; the world of Brighton is explicitly a world of text.Rose's father's face is â€Å"marked deeply with the hieroglyphics of pain and patience and suspicion† (142); â€Å"the edge of the sea is like a line of writing in whitewash: big sprawling letters† (152); and Ida, herself, is likened by the narrative to an enigmatic text that insists it be read: â€Å"she stood there like a wall at the end of an alley scrawled with the obscene chalk messages of an enemy† (196). In this context, reading becomes an unavoidable activity linked to power; those best able to read or even to offer convincing and authoritative readings are those who exercise power in this world.Both Ida and the police are confident in their interpretations of clues and events. The police, assigned the task of interpreting evide nce in order to determine whether or not a crime has been committed, produce their own reading of Hale's death. Their report presents a univocal interpretation of the details of the death and so preserves their power because in their eyes and in the eyes of the society the case is solved.The closing of the case thus maintains an impression of efficiency, which, in turn, justifies the authority conferred upon the police. As Edwin Muir wrote of Pinkie in a review of Brighton Rock, â€Å"he is an evil product of an evil environment, a living criticism of society, and on that plane genuine† (76). Muir's remarks could just as easily apply to Raven, who is said to be â€Å"made by hatred† (66). Indeed, because one of his obsessive boasts is â€Å"I'm educated† (15, 46), the social system that shapes Raven is severely criticized.In Brighton Rock there are hints of a repressed desire for goodness and peace in Pinkie that are seen in his emotional reactions to music, his recollection of his days in the church choir and his desire to be a priest, his faint stirring of tenderness for Rose and pity for Prewitt, and his sense of an â€Å"enormous emotion beating on him . . . the pressure of gigantic wings against the glass† as he drives Rose to what he assumes will be her death (242)—all of which indicate that Pinkie's evil arises out of the corruption of his innocence.In his case, the crippling effects of his environment destroy a natural tendency to goodness. The three â€Å"entertainments† that follow Brighton Rock, while not abandoning the social critique of the books from the thirties, become more obvious than Greene's text was in the interrogations of the thriller form and of the structures of authority—whether political, literary or textual—that exist within society. Bibliography Greene, Graham. Brighton Rock. 1938. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1988._____________. Our Man in Havana. 1958. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 197 7. Lewis, R. W. B. â€Å"Graham Greene: The Religious Affair. † The Picaresque Saint: Representative Figures in Contemporary Fiction. Philadelphia and New York: Lipponcott, 1959. 220-74. McEwen, Neil. Graham Greene. Macmillan Modern Novelists. London: Macmillan, 1988. O'Donnell, Donat. â€Å"Graham Greene. † Chimera 5. 4 (Summer 1947): 18-30. Todorov, Tzvetan. The Poetics of Prose. 1971. Trans. Richard Howard. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1977.